What makes a new room an "official" room recognised by the council?

[Curious]

Does anyone know what are the legal requirements to make a new room acknowledged by the council? Auckland council in this case.

For example - if I have a 3 bedroom house with a very large bedroom that I can split into 2 rooms does it make it a 4 bedroom house? Can I rent it as a 4 bedroom house? Can I sell it as a 4 bedroom house? Will it be recognised as a 4 bedroom house by the council? And if not how to legally make it a 4 bedroom house? I'm not speaking about any load-bearing structural changes, just a simple partitioning of existing space.

Also how does a "rumpus room" differ from a bedroom? If it's carpeted, painted, has a wardrobe, etc and in no practical way is any different from a bedroom in an upper level how can that be legally turned into another bedroom and advertised as such for renting / selling?

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[eri]

council would know

you could try and call

afaik bedrooms have a minimum floor size, ceiling height and need natural light

this might help

http://www.aucklanddesignmanual.co.nz/project-type/buildings-and-sites/housing/terraces/guidance/the-building/terraced-housing-space/bedrooms

check this out

Convenient wheelchair access should be available between a main bedroom and the bathroom.

[Davo36]

Or you just do what everyone else does and whack up some walls.

Not saying it's right, but you'd probably get away with it.

Gary Lin and the likes do this.

Kinda wrecks the property IMHO but you get more rent.

[artemis]

I looked in to doing this (and did it). Also turning a large bedroom into two smaller ones with internal partition and a second doorway. No load bearing wall involved. IIRC the only council issue would have been if another window was cut into the external wall. Not an issue in our case, as no change to the windows was needed.

[Wayne]

I don't think anything makes it official.
If it meets the requirements (and the room it was cut from still does also) then it can be a bedroom.

[Curious]

I just talked to the council's Building Control team and was told that to call something a bedroom it must meet NZ Building Code sections E3 (moisture), E4 (ventilation), G7, G8 (light) and H1 (energy efficiency). Rumpus room on the other hand doesn't need to meet these controls because it is not deemed an inhabitable space.

If the new room (or existing rumpus room) meets the standards then a council valuer can confirm it on site and when it's confirmed the owner can apply for noting the new number of rooms on the title. (Does title show the number of rooms? Anyway that's what he said).

Doesn't sound too complicated...

[Davo36]

Really? Doesn't sound too complicated? Are you sure you meet the H1 calcs right now? What about E3 and E4, did they say what needed to be done to meet those standards?

Best of luck, let us know how you get on.

[John the builder]

I just talked to the council's Building Control team and was told that to call something a bedroom it must meet NZ Building Code sections E3 (moisture), E4 (ventilation), G7, G8 (light) and H1 (energy efficiency). Rumpus room on the other hand doesn't need to meet these controls because it is not deemed an inhabitable space.

did you get a name for that officer because nearly everything you have stated is a load of crock!!

It is not a change of use under the building act so those clauses are not triggered

You can fit new walls no consent required you can also install new windows and no consent required (all under schedule 1)

Auckland council have a form called Record of exempt building work AC 2111 It allows the work done under schedule 1 to be recorded on the file. Council accepts no responsibility rather similar to a Safe and Sanitary report.

Other councils may not offer this service.
\
Davo not complicated? yeah right prove to me an existing structure is code compliant? what is E4

[Shalodge]

Some in the Real estate Industry claim that they will not market a house as having x bedrooms unless the rooms meet the Housing Improvement Regulations.

http://brentsellsnelson.co.nz/real-estate-blog/minimum-bedroom-size/

[Wayne]

Some in the Real estate Industry claim that they will not market a house as having x bedrooms unless the rooms meet the Housing Improvement Regulations.

http://brentsellsnelson.co.nz/real-e...-bedroom-size/

I'd agree with them on that.
I talked to my PM about a rental that was advertised as 4 bedroom but the 4th room was about 1.7m wide and 2.5 long. You just got a single bed in and could shuffle around. The bed could only go in 1 place (or leave the door open).
She said she hadn't heard of the regs.
To be fair it wasn't her rental but from the company.

[Shalodge]

JTB .. I don't know where you are coming from some times! I cant see anything in that quote that is a "crock".

No it is not a 'change of use' but there is nothing to suggest the OP was told that it was?

BC may not required (insufficient information to tell) but as you are well aware all building work (exempt or not) must comply with code and the completed building must comply to at least the same extent as it did before (You cant make it worse).

If you divide a bedroom the previously complies in half then they both must meet code. You don't need a BC but as per my previous post there may be some issues on resale if code for habitable space is not met.

[John the builder]

JTB .. I don't know where you are coming from some times! I cant see anything in that quote that is a "crock".

No it is not a 'change of use' but there is nothing to suggest the OP was told that it was?

BC may not required (insufficient information to tell) but as you are well aware all building work (exempt or not) must comply with code and the completed building must comply to at least the same extent as it did before (You cant make it worse).

If you divide a bedroom the previously complies in half then they both must meet code. You don't need a BC but as per my previous post there may be some issues on resale if code for habitable space is not met.

S

you disagree with me then make no reference to the building code to support your view

No it is not a 'change of use' but there is nothing to suggest the OP was told that it was?
"call something a bedroom it must meet NZ Building Code sections E3 (moisture), E4 (ventilation), G7, G8 (light) and H1 (energy efficiency

these only apply if it is a change of use so he can only reference them in respect to that.if there is a C of U

BC may not required (insufficient information to tell) but as you are well aware all building work (exempt or not) must comply with code and the completed building must comply to at least the same extent as it did before (You cant make it worse).

the test of to the same extent is to the building not the work. You can make rooms smaller and they still satisfy the building code.

If you divide a bedroom the previously complies in half then they both must meet code. You don't need a BC but as per my previous post there may be some issues on resale if code for habitable space is not met.

yes they do but it is the building work that must satisfy s17 not the building. There are no clauses that govern bedroom room size in the building code If so point them out?

[Shalodge]

The Building Code does not provide for dimensions. It provides performance standards. It doesn't specify what defines a bedroom and only defines habitable space.
It is not a 'crock' to advise folk that if they want to create a habitable space (which includes a bedroom) then they need to comply with the relevant parts of the Code as per the advice given (except E4 ventilation should be G4?).

[John the builder]

yes it is a crock if they advise they have to upgrade clauses when this is not required because they are not triggered by a change oif use.

BTW where does it define habitable space?

[Shalodge]

BTW where does it define habitable space?

Its in the code .. (Schedule 1) A2

habitable space

a space used for activities normally associated with domestic living, but excludes any bathroom, laundry, water-closet, pantry, walk-in wardrobe, corridor, hallway, lobby, clothes-drying room, or other space of a specialised nature occupied neither frequently nor for extended periods